Arne Sorenson, president, and CEO of the hotelier Marriott International has died at the age of 62, as reported by the company on Tuesday. Sorenson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019 and two weeks ago, on February 2, Marriott reported temporarily reducing his work hours to facilitate more demanding treatment for the disease.
Sorenson became the third CEO in company history in 2012 and the first without the Marriott surname. He managed to lead the company on a line of strong growth and made the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts for a value of 13,000 million dollars (12,145.58 million euros).
The company noted in its statement that during his tenure, Sorenson drove the company’s progress, created opportunities for associates, growth for owners and franchisees, and results for shareholders. “Arne was an exceptional executive, but more than that, he was an exceptional human being,” said JW Marriot, the company’s CEO and Chairman of the Board.
When Sorenson’s hours were shortened in early February, the firm appointed two veteran Marriott executives (Stephanie Linnartz, president of the emerging business, technology, and consumer operations group, and Tony Capuano, president of the global development group, design and operations services) to share the supervision of the daily operations of the business units and the corporate functions of the company. Both will continue in this role until the board of directors appoints a new CEO, which is expected to take place in the next two weeks.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
